Industrial Society example essay topic

SOCIETIES HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES are the simplest types of societies in which people rely on readily available vegetation and hunted game for subsistence. Only a few people can be supported in any given area in such subsistence societies. Hence they usually have no more than 40 members or so, must be nomadic, and have little or no division of labor. All societies began as hunting and gathering societies.

These societies were still common until a few hundred years ago. Today only a few remain, including pygmies in central Africa and aborigines in Australia. Most of the rest have had their territory overrun by other forms of society. Hunter-gatherer societies also tend to have non-hierarchical social structures. There is rarely surplus food, and since they are nomadic little ability to store any surplus.

Thus full-time leaders, bureaucrats, or artisans are rarely supported by hunter-gathering societies. Hunting and gathering society consumes a great deal of time, energy, and thought, collecting and hunting for food. Most of these societies today generally live in marginal areas where resources are scarce, so life for the hunter and gatherer seems more oriented toward mere survival. Life expectancy is also very low compared to the post industrial society.

Technology is minimal in the hunting and gathering society, which again relates back to the need for expending time and energy finding food. Technology in medicine is also primitive for hunters and gatherers. Equality is great and social stratification is low, opposed to the post-industrial society. PASTORAL SOCIETIES are societies in which animals are domesticated and raised for food in pastures.

Care of animals in the pastoral society still consumes a large portion of time for most of its members. Pastoral societies are also at risk of animal diseases or droughts. These societies do not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. Pastoral society does not afford as much time for leisure as does the post-industrial society. This society does not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. The pastorals are nomadic, and sometimes endure harsh and even dangerous environments in their journeys.

Medical technology is also low, so physical pain and death are more common than in post-industrial society. Pastoral societies tended to develop in arid regions where there was insufficient rainfall to raise crops on the land. Pastoral societies were usually nomadic, moving on to a new area after the animals had exhausted the food supply in each pasture. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES are societies in which people plant crops in small gardens for subsistence rather than depending on available foods. This planting occurs without the use of plows or more advanced technology. Horticultural societies are pre-industrial societies.

The horticultural society does not afford as much time for leisure as does the post-industrial society. The horticulturist is at the mercy of the elements since a bad season or natural phenomena such as a flood can deplete food resources and drastically effect the survival of its members. Horticultural societies must be located in areas with conditions suitable for growing crops reliably. Areas that are too cold or lack sufficient rainfall could not support such societies. Horticultural societies made it possible to establish permanent settlements. AGRARIAN SOCIETIES are based on large-scale agricultural production made possible by plows pulled by animals.

Agrarian societies, because they are based on large-scale agriculture, are far more efficient than earlier societies and typically have a huge food surplus. This supports a complex division of labor. This also permits the accumulation of great wealth by the few and considerable inequality. An Agrarian society is one that is based on agriculture as its prime means for support and sustenance. The society acknowledges other means of livelihood and work habits but stresses on agriculture and farming. This has / can be implemented only in countries that have good farming lands.

The agrarian society, compared to the post-industrial society, displays more inequality. There exists a large economic gap between the wealthy or elite and the poor or slaves and peasants. As an elite man in this society, life would be easy. One would have much leisure time to follow other interests like schooling and art. As a peasant or slave, however, time and energy would be consumed working for the elite. Power is highly stratified between rich and poor, men and women.

It does not display the more general democratic political characteristics of the post-industrial society. The ability to choose is dependent on economic class, and is generally determined by birth. Social mobility is rare in contrast to post-industrial society. INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES rely heavily on machines powered by fuels for the production of goods.

This produced further dramatic increases in efficiency. The increased efficiency of production of the industrial revolution produced an even greater surplus than before. Now the surplus was not just agricultural goods, but also manufactured goods. Increased productivity made more goods available to everyone. However, inequality became even greater than before.

The breakup of agricultural-based feudal societies caused many people to leave the land and seek employment in cities. This created a great surplus of labor and gave capitalists plenty of laborers who could be hired for extremely low wages. In sociology, industrial society refers to a society with a modern societal structure. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the industrial revolution. Early industrial societies are marked with economic, social, and political inequality. Advancing technology benefits the few or rich in that they collect wealth in industry.

The rich are the factory owners who use technology to produce more and make more money. The workers are the poor. In early industrial societies, there are no laws that give rights to the worker. Workers are subjected to long hours, low pay, and dangerous working environments. Technology is moving fast while the political institutions lag behind. Generally, the industrial society is one where the majority of its members work in factories.

Most of one's day involves doing repetitive or thoughtless work. It produces a feeling of isolation since interaction with others is limited. This type of work is something that a machine in post-industrialist society would do. POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES are societies dominated by information, services, and high technology more than the production of goods. Advanced industrial societies are now seeing a shift toward an increase in service sectors over manufacturing and production. The U.S. is the first country to have over half of its work force employed in service industries.

Service industries include government, research, education, health, sales, law, banking, and so on. In the post-industrial society, food is easily available, allowing more time to focus on other interests. The post-industrial society is the most technologically advanced, and technology definitely has benefits. The use of computers in medicine can detect diseases and cure ailments, thus promoting longer life.

Food is abundant and quickly attainable. The Internet brings cultures together which promote greater understanding among each other. It also gives a voice to special interest groups such as women's rights groups and economically disadvantaged groups, which in turn promotes greater democracy. In addition, members of this society and the later part of the industrial society, have a greater amount of leisure time.

Universal education is also a benefit of these societies. Individual rights are another. Post-industrial society is not as socially, economically, or politically equal as the hunter and gatherer or horticultural and pastoral societies are but it has been leveling-off since the industrial revolution.